Making Thanksgiving dinner seems to be a rite of passage that I had not passed -- until this year. With scheduling issues making it impossible for a traditional Turkey Day dinner to be shared by my family, I decided not to just have the day come and go, but to go ahead and celebrate -- a week in advance, and I would make it all. I mean the holidays are about spending a special time together not just on one pre-selected day right?
There was only one little problem with my plan - I had NEVER made a turkey or anything for Thanksgiving. That's right. I had peeled, mashed and creamed up the potatoes and even warmed up the rolls, but the task of Thanksgiving had never fell on my shoulders. So I made it my goal not just to make a turkey, but a big spread complete with:
- Bacon Dressing
- Homemade rolls
- Truffled Mashed Potatoes
- Blue Cheese Bacon Brussel Sprouts
- Brown Gravy
- Spiced Cranberry Sauce
- and Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Brittle
So off to the store I went to get the ingredients for my Cilantro-Lime Turkey (a recipe I had found in my Better Homes and Gardens)!
1) First off, was to pick out my turkey. Oh there were LOTS of turkeys to choose from! Unfortunately, I couldn't find the Jennie-O Oven ready turkey breast - they were sold out! However, the meat manager at my grocery store was able to find me one last turkey, so it was a good sign that the Jennie-O was in high demand.
2) Once I got this baby home, I was able to take it straight to the oven after a few special touches! Because it was a turkey breast, the weight of the turkey was less than full-size turkey, making my cooking time a little less than the big birds! And while I could have left it alone with no thawing or seasoning, I decided to add a special Texas touch with favorite seasoning Cilantro, the zesty flavor of lime and a simple marinade of cilantro and honey!
3) Then I popped it in the oven and 2.5 hours later - behold perfection. Well, almost. We still had to carve it and taste it for the official call.
Yep, it was beautiful, it was delicious and juicy! SUCCESS!
If you'd like to make this amazing recipe, please take a look here and many of the other delicious recipes in the November 2013 Better Homes and Gardens!
I can't recommend the Jennie-O Oven Ready Turkey for your Thanksgiving! And IF you have any left overs then make sure you cook up this Turkey Tortilla Soup to savor it to the last drop!
We hope you have a fantastic Turkey Day!
